Last evening, I assured my daughter she was witnessing history. Roughly twelve hours later, I’m technically correct but last night did not proceed as forecasted. Early on, I took comfort that FiveThir...

The process of becoming a parent teaches lessons you never expected to learn. There are, of course, many small nuggets of wisdom that lodge in your brain; the prevailing signs of a wet diaper (thanks ...

I wake up, though not by choice. The alarm clock isn’t ringing, and the apartment is quiet. My bedsheets wrap me in a warm, kind hug; and although the bed is comfortable, I’m miles away from a blissfu...

By mid-June, the Young Family will be living in Colorado. While this move is positive overall, I also feel a certain trepidation: Chicago was where I launched The Machine, re-ignited my love for softw...

I’m an educator: I advise clients around the globe, speak to almost any audience that will have me, write on a myriad of important topics, and contribute to open source. Still, I’m often asked — occas...

Whether you’re a developer, musician, producer, photographer, or a creative of any other profession — you rely heavily on the work of others. It may be uncomfortable to admit, but rarely is an idea tr...

For years, I’ve heard rumblings of misogyny, sexual misconduct, and other troubling events in the Ruby community. Female friends have discussed their stories with me at length: some are concerned (but...

If you read my earlier piece on the emotions associated with becoming a Dad, then you’ll also understand why I’m proud to say this. While the context will help, as it always does, this announcement is...

I bought a MacBook in 2006. The white, polycarbonate-clad machine was my first serious laptop. It was far superior to the family PCs in every way. I was excited about the purchase, yes, but I also und...

What is your first thoughts in reaction to the term “mechanical keyboard”? Nostalgia? The obnoxious “clicky” sound you hoped to leave behind? If you’re relatively young, you may have no recollection o...

Growing up, adults would consistently regale me with stories from their past. A recurring theme was how time passed faster, increasing in speed with each year. Looking back as I near thirty, and sever...

BeyondRAID is actually BeyondSanity

A few weeks ago, I gave a talk at the Chicago Node.js meetup about our technology stack for The Machine. I’ve only been working with Node for a couple of months, but in that time, I’ve learned many di...

One of the major challenges I’ve had to overcome with Node.js is a task that’s relatively simple in Ruby. You wouldn’t think this would be difficult, but serializing JSON can be frustrating, even thou...

In a previous life, I was a professional web developer. I’ve used JavaScript extensively throughout my career, but I always saw it as the necessary evil: a weird little language that existed solely to...

Launched in 2004, Feedburner was a once popular tool that re-formatted often messy RSS feeds, prepping them for mass consumption. Over the years, it became a trusted platform for bloggers, podcasters,...

If we’ve met — online or in person — I’ve probably spoken to you about radio, and my endless love for the medium. This American Life, Radiolab, and Freakonomics Radio are staples in my weekly soundtra...

Doubt. It’s something we all face, but rarely discuss. Artists stare it down daily, in a power struggle between beauty and the absence of it. Between light, and the dark, soundless, matterless void. A...

I redesign this site annually, but this iteration is radically different. Normally, I pick a new set of technical tools and work around any associated oddness they might introduce — however, this time...

As a photographer, few things compare to capturing emotion. Whether it’s a band sweating on stage, a painter focused on their canvas, or the hustle of a city at night, I think about emotion every time...

The evolution of the internet blessed us with always-on, globally-available communications. It has allowed me to conduct informal cultural exchanges with citizens of foreign countries, stay in touch w...

Whether you love or loathe it, email ranks highly among the most transformative technologies. It changed how we communicate well before Facebook or Twitter, you can access it from practically any devi...

Like most artists, I’m often inspired by those around me. A friendly smile, stimulating conversation, and gentle encouragement are often what push me beyond my self-imposed creative boundaries. As cre...

I began publishing content online in 1999, shortly after my home in rural Alabama was connected to the internet. At the time, nobody was thinking about their personal brand, and how it might affect fu...

Moments ago, I sent this text via email to info@facebook.com, and I would encourage you to do the same. For those of you who don’t get what the big deal is, Amanda French has posted a great explanatio...